The bumper substructure is frequently spaced apart from the cladding element, creating a cavity between the bumper substructure and cladding element that can vary in depth depending on the vehicle type. This cavity adversely narrows a barrier penetration pathway that must be provided to ensure that no damage is done to the outer skin of the motor vehicle, in particular, even if the vehicle styling or design provides for a longer overhang.
This absence of damage must be ensured at low collision speeds, without body parts or the outer skin of the motor vehicle itself being touched or damaged. However, since the bumper substructure only becomes active once the cladding element has become dented during a collision to the point that the dented cladding element is able to convey the impact force to the bumper substructure, the bumper substructure must at great expense be adjusted to the various styling configurations of the different models within a series of motor vehicles to ensure the prescribed barrier penetration pathway for each of the models, and hence ensure the absence of damage to the body for each individual model.
In view of the foregoing, at least one object is to provide an impact-limiting system for a motor vehicle with a cladding element and a bumper substructure that can be used for different vehicles within a platform and/or bridge platforms with varying body overhangs. In addition, other objects, desirable features, and characteristics will become apparent from the subsequent summary and detailed description, and the appended claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and this background.